"Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1st Corinthians 15:51-53 There is a generation in which not all will die. When the Lord comes for those who are his, those who previously died in Christ will rise first, and then those who are in Christ on the earth - will all be taken together to be with the Lord. This is called "the Rapture." Some say that word is not found in the Bible, but it is. It was written in Greek as "harpazo," and in the Latin translation it's "rapturo," from where we get "the rapture" in English. All three mean the same thing: to be caught up by force. "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP TOGETHER with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1st Thessalonians 4:16-18 It may happen very soon, because all the signs of the seven-year Tribulation are on the scene now, and Scripture tells us the Lord will come for his own BEFORE the Tribulation begins. Scripture tells us that a man, the Antichrist, will rise up on the scene for the final seven years of this age which begin when he confirms a seven-year covenant with "many." This covenant or agenda will be worldwide. We are told that there will be a global reign under this man, and a global religion which the Pope is working right now to bring about in his bid for "ecumenism." Many believe the pope is the "false prophet" in the Book of Revelation. We are told there will be an identifying mark that each person will be required to have on his arm or his forehead and that no one will be able to buy or sell without it. "He (the Antichrist) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: his number is 666." Revelation 13:16-18 One may ask what's wrong with an identifying mark? What's wrong is that to get the mark one must pledge allegiance to this Antichrist. They are forever damned, whoever takes that mark. "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, AND WHOEVER RECEIVES THE MARK OF HIS NAME.” Revelation 14:11 In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus told his followers the signs that would be on the earth before his coming. He said there will be wars, rumors of war, great earthquakes, famine, and pestilence (disease) characterizing the days leading up to this period. Every one of those has been in the news recently. The key to recognizing them is in their concurrence. Every generation has had its great war, or its great earthquake, etc, but in our generation we see every one of those concurrently. Folks, the stage is set. The Tribulation could begin anytime. All it needs is a catastrophe which will so shock people that they'll be ready to take the mark to survive. It's possible that terrorism could bring this about. It could be a nuclear event. And yes, it could be the demand for a vaccine enforced worldwide. Something will happen that will bring the world into the "strong delusion" that will come upon them making them willing to take the mark: "The coming of the lawless one (the Antichrist) is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous DECEPTION among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them STRONG DELUSION, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-12 That's not hard to imagine - it's already obvious. All that God calls good, they call evil. And all that God calls evil, they call good. The murder of children in the womb. The prevalence of sexual immorality. Violence. The pride of men. Although evil is the name of the game rampant now, still there is a "restrainer" keeping it down, not allowing it to go full-force (2nd Thessalonians 2:6-8). But before the Great Tribulation, that restrainer will be removed. Is the restrainer the Holy Spirit as some claim? No, because no one can be saved without the Holy Spirit and we know there will be many becoming believers during the Tribulation, so the Holy Spirit will be here. The restrainer is those who belong to Christ now, empowered by the Holy Spirit, opposing evil and holding back its full manifestation. Once they are gone evil will have no restraint and will go full force. Seeing and understanding that world events are portraying a world now ripe for the total all-encompassing evil of the reign of the Antichrist, then surely our departure is soon. Jesus Christ said "PRAY TO BE ACCOUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE all those things." “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you UNEXPECTEDLY. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and PRAY always that you may be counted worthy TO ESCAPE all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36 Jesus said to pray it. Pray it therefore. More about the Rapture
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1st Corinthians 15:51-52 The word “mystery” in the Bible does not carry the same connotation as it does in modern English. In the Bible, the word “mystery” means something that has not been revealed before, but is being revealed now. What is Paul talking about here? In context, Paul was discussing what kind of body we will have in the resurrection. It will be the same body, but changed. The bodies we have now are “corruptible,” and no corruption can enter heaven. They have to be changed, and when they are changed they will be like Christ’s body after his resurrection. vs 53: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” Our present bodies must become no longer subject to corruption, and they must become no longer subject to death. They will have immortality. Modern man is currently striving to find a way to become immortal through science. Think CERN, think Ai. It will never happen because it’s a spiritual thing, not a physical thing. Our present corruptible bodies cannot be made immortal by any means other than the transformation that will take place when we are “changed” by God - in the resurrection of believers who died in Christ, and in the Rapture for those believers who are alive on the earth when this happens. Now concerning the “mystery” referred to here, that which had not yet been revealed, it is that “we shall not all sleep.” In the Bible, that term “sleep” is often used for death. Paul is revealing that not all of us will “sleep,” that is - some will not pass through death, they are the born-again believers who are alive on earth when the trumpet sounds. When that trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will be raised in their incorruptible and immortal bodies, and we who are alive at the time of that trumpet - will not die, we will be changed, suddenly, in that moment, “in the twinkling of an eye.” “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 This is called the “Rapture” by most believers, taken from the word "raptura" in the Latin translation of the Bible; it's "harpazo" in the original Greek and "Rapture" in the English versions. The word means to be snatched, or taken suddenly. Those who know this doctrine are watching eagerly for this event because we know we are in the season of the Lord’s coming for his believers, having seen the signs of the impending Tribulation glaring before us. The Rapture takes place before the Tribulation begins, so believers are very much awake and watching. It is the most joyful thing a person can anticipate. Imagine it! The dead in Christ will rise. Imagine it! They will be taken out of their graves, as Jesus was, and resurrected in a glorious body, exactly as happened to Jesus in his resurrection. Their changed bodies will be just like his. And then …they will be caught up in clouds to heaven just as Jesus was. Does that sound far-fetched to you? Just remember that the Bible is a book full of supernatural events, it is the power of God to fulfill what he has promised, and it IS going to happen, and by all indications it is going to happen soon. We are told we can’t know the day or the hour it will happen, but we do know that it will happen before the great Tribulation begins - and that is very obviously on the doorsteps even now. If you are not ready, GET READY. Soon, very soon, everything is going to change! MORE: The Rapture
"Then Jesus said to them,
'A little while longer the light is with you.
Walk while you have the light,
lest darkness overtake you;
he who walks in darkness
does not know where he is going.'"
John 12:35
Do you know where you are going? Or ...are you walking in darkness?
One who has been born again knows exactly where he is going. He knows that his citizenship is not in this world, but is in heaven.
"For our CITIZENSHIP is in heaven,
from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ…"
Philippians 3:20
Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation (John 16:33 ) and so it is, especially for the believer. All believers experience tribulation because all believers are hated by Satan and it is his satisfaction to afflict those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. But not only are the problems afflicting us temporary, but we also have the promise that for the believer, God works ALL things out together for our good (Romans 8:28). And how great is our joy when we see him do exactly that! We don't see it immediately, but when we look back, we say "oh my ....YES!" - and we marvel!
One of the greatest promises granted to the born-again believer is that those walking in the light will be removed from this world before the great and terrible judgment falls upon it "in the last days." That time is called "the Tribulation," when God judges this world, when he "tramples down the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored." Speaking of that time, Jesus told us that this last 7-year Tribulation period will bring worse suffering than the earth has ever experienced. Think the flood of Noah. Think the Holocaust.
"For then there will be great tribulation,
such as has not been since the beginning of the world
until this time, no, nor ever shall be."
Matthew 24:21
It will be a time of judgment, coming just when the world doesn't expect it.
"For you yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
For when they say, 'Peace and safety!'
then sudden destruction comes upon them,
as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.
And they shall not escape."
1st Thessalonians 5:2-3
"They" shall not escape, but the born-again believer WILL escape it:
vs 4:
"But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
so that this Day should overtake you as a thief."
The difference is that the people of "the world" are in darkness, but those in Christ walk in the light.
vs 5:
"You are all sons of light and sons of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness."
The believer has the assurance that he will NOT see those days:
"Because you have kept my command to persevere,
I also will keep you OUT OF the hour of trial
which shall come upon the whole world,
to try those who dwell on the earth."
Revelation 3:10
Furthermore, Jesus told us to pray, asking specifically to be kept out of that terrible time:
"Watch therefore, and pray always
that you may be counted worthy
TO ESCAPE all these things that will come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:36
Do you pray this? Certainly if you're walking in darkness you've never uttered these words before God. Turn to him therefore, bring to him a repentant heart and ask him to become your Savior and your Lord. If you surrender yourself and your life to him, THEN you may ask this request of him, to be kept OUT OF that terrible time.
Believers are accused of having an escapist mentality. Well if you've read the passages throughout the Bible describing what those days will be like, you'll realize that they will be days of unprecedented suffering and you too will wish you had done as Jesus said and asked TO ESCAPE those days. In light of this, the wise ARE "escapists." They believe the words of Christ.
But first, he must become your Savior. And first he must become your Lord. Only those who are ...will escape.
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